Hello Spike
by Isabella Raven
Summary: There's a demon out to kill Angel and Spike, with orders to collect their souls to add to a collection. Add to that some unexpected and unwelcome! guests, Alexa, and Shannon, and there's trouble brewing in LA. Finished!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Angel, Spike, and Lindsey are not mine, they belong to those who hold the rights to the characters. Alexa, Shannon, and James are my creations.

Rating: R

Summary: Alexa and Shannon test out a little invention of Alexa's that takes them to the Angel-verse, and land there a little sooner than they were hoping. Shannon picks up a new talent, Alexa finds an old nemesis alive and well here, and someone they didn't expect to show up follows them, causing a few problems for their new friends.

Prologue

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Shannon gave the tangle of wires and sillicon that embraced the base of the massive sheet of glass, and led to a computer console off to one side a dubious look.

"Nope!" The cheerful voice came from under the console, as Alexa woked on the last few connections, other wires trailing from the computer to a projecctor set up on the far side of the glass. "What's the worst that could happen? We get a few glass cuts, and are still here. Best case scenario, we're precisely where I intend to go. And I can pounce that gorgeous blond bloodsucker."

"You can have Spike. You promised I get Angel. If this works." Shannon gave the set up another dubious look. "How much power does this take?"

"Enough to black out New York, if the caculations are right." Alexa wiggled out from under the console, moving around to the far side of it to boot it up.

"And if they're wrong?"

"The entire East Coast will be without power." Alexa shrugged. "Do I look as though I care? I'm not going to be here to have to answer questions."

"Yeah. But the machine will still be here, and set up. They'll be able to pick it apart, and reverse engineer your work."

"Oh, no, they won't." Alexa giggled. "They'll have to sift through rubble to find all the pieces of the machine."

Shannonn stared at her friend. "You didn't say anything about explosives on the phone!!" she yelped.

"Um, Shannon, that would be a bad move. Who knows if they're monitering the phone lines?" Alexa tapped the console, biting her lip. "So far, so good. Booting the program just fine. It'll have to warm up the relays, and then it will start the projection. Then we grab the gear and go."

"And how do you plan on setting off the explosives if we're not here?"

"They're on a timer, Shannon. They'll go off on their own." Alexa headed for a screen in the corner, changing out of her grubby work clothes, and pulling on a pair of black jeans, tank top, and a black headscarf before lacing up a pair of combat boots. "And before you ask, I left enough time for me to defuse them if it fails."

"If you're not unconscious, that is."

Alexa tilted her head, grabbing a duffel, and setting it in front of the glass. "True. If that's the case, you'll find the map for the explosives tacked up on the far side of the screen, and the code to defuse them."

"And if I'm knocked out too?"

Alexa shrugged. "Then we die."

"You're crazy!" Shannon was staring at her friend in shock. "And might I remind you, we can't work on this more if we're dead?"

"And if we're dead, we might get Spike and Angel anyway. Come on, Shannon, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back home, asleep. With no clue that any of this is going on." Shannon replied flatly.

"Pity." Alexa turned to the screen, which was beginning to light up with the last scene from the last episode of Angel. "Grab your duffel, here goes nothing." She slung her duffel over her shoulder, grabbing the katana that had been on top of it.

Shannon sighed, grabbing her own duffel, and the two took off at a dead run straight at the glass sheet. Launched through the air, it felt like they were being streched impossibly thin, and then....


	2. Chapter 01

Chapter 1

Alexa hit the ground and rolled, loosing her hold on the duffel. She kept a death grip on her katana until she came to a stop, muttering to herself, "Fuck, that hurt." She blinked at the pair of feet in front of her, looking up into the puzzled expression of Spike. "Hello," she said, a sheepish grin coming to her face.

Spike reached down to help her up, and Alexa gladly accepted, rising fluidly to her feet. She looked around, almost hissing at the crowd of demons behind her. Her duffel lay kicked to one side, the purple bag still in one piece, and Shannon was getting to her feet near Angel.

"Told you it would work, Shannon." Alexa grinned at her friend.

Shannon looked at the demons, who had their shock at the sudden appearence of two women flying through the air beginning to wear off. "And landed us in the middle of a major fight. They," she nodded towards the demons, "don't look friendly."

Alexa tilted her head, nodding. "True." She glanced around the alley a moment, assessing the layout. "Personally, if facing this situation on my own, my choice would be to run."

"No suprise," muttered Shannon.

"And, to be honest, it still is my first choice." Alexa's katana hissed from its sheath as the demons moved forward. "But I don't think that's an option at the moment."

"No shit, Sherlock." Shannon pumped the shot gun she had brought, the semi-automatic rifle slung over her shoulder for the moment.

The demons charged, and soon all of them were seperated in the chaos. Alexa kept up a swirling curtain of steel as she backed towards the wall, her shoulders slamming almost painfully into the brickwork. She could hear Shannon's methodical shooting on the other side of the alley, and see the disturbances that marked the two vampires.

Alexa snarled, the katana slicing into demon flech like a hot knife, trying just to keep herself alive. Her world narrowed to her blade, and the enemies closest to her, blocking and striking in a macabre and lethal dance. She didn't even notice being swirled away from the wall in an eddy of the melee until she backed into someone.

Spinning, she nearly took off Spike's head, the vampire ducking in time to avoid decapitation. She noticed the demon coming up behind him, and side-stepped, blocking the blow. Her katana neatly seperated the demon's head from his shoulders, just before she was knocked to the ground.

"What the hell?" she yelped, feeling the rush of air as something passed through where she had been standing.

"Dragon," was the brief reply as Spike let her up.

Alexa could see the beast wheeling around for another pass, and turned, looking for a place to take cover. She cursed, seeing only more demons, and some flimsy trash cans. Hitting the ground again, she felt the woosh of the dragon passing nearly within striking distance overhead. Standing, she turned on one heel, sprinting down the alley looking for a good place to hide.

Spike wasn't far behind her, and they both ducked into the doorway of an abandoned warehouse. The dragon landed, snaking out its head to snap at them, driving them back into the building.

"Bloody fucking hell!" Alexa pressed against the wall on one side of the door, looking around for something useful. "How do you kill a dragon?"

"Traditionally, you'd put a sword through its heart, I think." Spike glanced at her katana. "That would work."

"Of course it would work. But traditionally, I'd lay you bets that dragons ate very well after they picked the pits of metal and other inedible stuff away from their meal." Alexa snapped. "Any other way?"

"Not that I know."

"Shit." Alexa snapped the blade down in an arc as the dragon tried to snap at them through the doorway. "I haven't a clue where to put the katana to hit a dragon's heart."

"Then hand it to me." Spike held out his hand, and Alexa hesitated a moment, thinking.

"I'll distract it." She reversed the blade, setting the hilt in his hand. Alexa charged out of the door, catching the dragon's attention. "Hey, snot-face! Over here!" She dropped her voice to a mutter, adding, "I'm definately not telling Shannon this. Suicidal stupidity is NOT my cup of tea."

The dragon lunged to snap at her, and Alexa yelped, diving to one side. She rolled as she hit the ground, avoiding claws and teeth by mere inches. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Spike slipping out the door, and prayed the dragon's attention stayed on her long enough for him to kill it.

The dragon swivled its head, turning to snap at Spike, who cursed, dodging the sharp teeth. Alexa took the chance, and charged the dragon, vaulting up its shoulder to land on its back. It hissed in suprise, turning its head to try to get at her. Alexa scrambled away, her balance precarious on the shifting surface of its back.

She kicked at the membrane of one wing, her boot connecting solidly, and eliciting a roar of pain from the dragon. It focused on her, trying to shake her off, or kill her. Long enough a distraction for Spike to bury the katana into its heart.

Alexa was thrown off the dying beast, curling into a ball to protect her head and neck. She grunted as she connected with the wall, slowly standing after she hit the ground. Spike was nearby, leaning against the brick wall, her katana dangling from his fingers, and his eyes closed.

"That was interesting." Alexa took a mental inventory to make sure everything was still intact and where it belonged. She moved over towards Spike, reaching out to take her katana.

Her hand touched his, and Spike's eyes opened, his blue gaze locking with her green. Alexa licked her lips, trying to ignore the fact that he was attractive, and concentrate on retrieving her blade. She didn't realize she was leaning in until their lips touched, and the instinct to reassure herself that she was alive kicked into high gear.

The kiss was electric, the katana clattering unnoticed to the ground as hands tugged at clothing, coherent thought non-existant. The rough brickwork dug into Alexa's back, but she barely noticed, her hands tightly gripping his shoulders as he buried himself inside her. Her lips locked with his as they moved, climaxing quick and hard.

Alexa kept her grip on him as Spike lowered her until her feet touched the ground. Her face was flushed as they refastened clothing, and she reached down to pick up the katana at the same time Spike did, their hands brushing again.

She straightened quickly, and he picked up the blade, holding it out to her hilt first. She took it without saying anything, the two walking back down the alley, looking for Angel and Shannon. All they saw were demon corpses, the katana's lacquered sheath, and the women's two duffels.

Picking up the sheath, Alexa went over to her duffel, pulling a cloth out of a side pocket. She wiped the blade clean of blood before resheathing the sword, and picking up her duffel. Spike had Shannon's, and she looked over at the blond vampire.

"Shall we go find them, or what?" Alexa raised an eyebrow in question, and Spike shrugged.


	3. Chapter 02

Chapter 2

Lindsey MacDonald looked at the charred remains of the house from behind the police line, shaking his head in disbelief. "You can't find any remains?" He looked over at the detective in charge of the investigation.

"Not so far, Mr. MacDonald. Though the evidence points to both Miss Savage and Miss Morgan having been in that house when it was destroyed. No one saw them leave before the explosives detonated."

Lindsey frowned, shaking his head. "And you don't know who did it, yet."

"No. Sir, if we find out who murdered your girlfriend, we'll let you know."

"Thank you." Lindsey turned away, crossing the street to where his car was parked, pulling out his cell phone to make a call.

"This is James Savage, computer geek. Can I help you?"

"James, this is Lindsey MacDonald..."

"Lindsey!" James interrupted him, his voice cheerful. "I remember you. You were one of the co-workers she said kept her from bleeding to death. Last I remember, she was setting you up with her friend, Shannon."

"Yes, she did. Have you seen the news today?"

"No, haven't checked it yet. Why?"

Lindsey unlocked the door to his car, sitting behind the wheel before he replied. "Alexa's house blew up late last night. Shannon had been visiting her, and..." He paused, closing his eyes against the tears pricking at them. "They're both presumed dead."

There was silence on the other end of the phone line a moment, and then James replied quietly, "I'll have to call you back, Lindsey. There's a call waiting, and it's probably mom with the same news." His tone was odd, subdued, but not particularly upset. Lindsey frowned, about to say something, but the line went dead as James hung up the phone.

Lindsey flipped his phone shut, starting his car, and drove back to his apartment. Once he was inside, he turned on the computer, looking for an address for James Savage. "There you are. We need to have a talk. Starting with what you know about the dissapearence of your sister, and my ex-girfriend."

James cursed after he hung up the phone on Lindsey, glaring at the letter that sat innocently on the kitchen counter of his Manhattan apartment. "Damn it, Alexa, why couldn't you have just told me you were going to test it, and had me dismantle it if it worked? Why did you have to go out with a bang?" He re-read the letter, then picked up the lighter from beside the candles she'd sent him for Christmas. The letter caught quickly, and he dropped it in the sink, watching it burn to ash before washing the ashes down the drain.

He was sitting at his computer, humming as he tried to crack the security on the latest firewall his employer was testing, when someone knocked on the door. "One moment!" He opened the username/password program, telling it to run, before he went to answer the door. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Lindsey MacDonald, we talked about an hour ago." The young man at his door held his gaze. "May I come in?"

James watched him through wary eyes. "Sure. I'm currently on the clock, so it may be a moment before I can be the polite host, but you can make yourself at home. There's root beer in the refridgerator, and glasses are on top of it." He closed the door behind Lindsey before he went into his office, quiting the program, and sending off an email to his employer that he had a guest, and would continue the testing the next day.

Lindsey was looking around the main room when he came back out.

"Looking for something in particular, Mr. MacDonald?" James crossed his arms, watching the other man warily.

Lindsey looked up, and shook his head. "No." He paused. "My condolences on the loss of your sister."

James looked down a moment, nodding. "Thank you. I wasn't expecting something like this to happen."

"No one ever does." Lindsey took a seat on the couch. "You wouldn't happen to know if she had any enemies, would you?"

James snorted. "Other than John MacInnis, no." He headed for the kitchen. "Would you like a root beer?"

"No, thank you."

James grimaced as he pulled out a root beer, wondering how quickly he could get rid of his unwelcome guest. "Do you think John did this?"

"No." Lindsey had followed him into the kitchen. "But I do think you know something more about this than you're telling me."

The young computer geek looked up, his gaze meeting Lindsey's. "What makes you say that?"

"You're too calm about this. You just lost your sister, and you're acting like it's nothing."

"Maybe that's how I deal with the pain of loosing her."

James wasn't expecting to get slammed up against the wall, with Lindsey holding him about a foot off the ground. "Damn it! She was my friend, and Shannon was more than that, and I want to know what happened to them! If you know something, I am going to find out, no matter what it takes."

James shoved back, dropping to the ground, his root beer sloshing out of the bottle. "Look, I don't know anything that is going to help you find them."

"Find them?" Lindsey looked shocked. "They're dead!"

James snorted. "Dead? Not bloody likely. Have they found any bodies?"

"No."

"Which means that wherever they are, they're alive. And there's no way to garuntee you can find them." James straightened his shirt. "If they want to be found."


	4. Chapter 03

Chapter 3

Alexa and Spike followed the trail of demon blood and bodies through eerily silent and empty streets, until they spot one body that isn't a demon. Alexa's eyes widened, and she bit her lip.

"Shit." Her voice was a whisper, and Spike gave her an odd look.

"What?"

She nodded towards the body. "Gunn..."

"How did you know his name?" Spike looked at her again, sharply.

Alexa drew in a deep breath. "A friend of mine from my dimension is Charles Gunn. He's a marine. One of the five of us with the barbed wire dipped in blood on our arm." She touched her right hand to the black and red tattoo on her left bicep. "One cluster for each of us." She closed her eyes briefly, before moving on, her eyes searching for Shannon.

They found Angel and Shannon leaning against a wall, trying to catch their breath. The dark vampire looked up as they approached, then closed his eyes again, letting his head rest against the wall again. "The dragon took off after you."

"So it did." Spike dropped Shannon's duffel at her feet, and Alexa followed him, crouching beside her friend as Shannon slid down the wall.

"How did the blades work out?" Alexa nodded to the nightstick-style blades still held against Shannon's arms.

"Very well. I'm still in one piece, aren't I?" Shannon opened one eye to look at Alexa. "And you?"

"Fought a dragon, discovered just how fast I can run flat out when trying to get away from aforementioned beast. Found out one of my friends has a counterpart in this universe, only dead."

"Which one?"

"Gunn." Alexa shook her head, her right hand straying up to touch the barbed-wire tattoo again. "Gotta remember he's back home, on his honeymoon."

Angel was listening to the two women talk, and took that moment to interrupt their converesation. "How did you two get here? Other than falling about ten feet to the pavement."

Alexa chuckled. "We did do that, didn't we?"

"I still have bruises to prove it," Shannon quipped, shooting a brief glare at her friend.

Alexa shrugged. "Better bruises than glass cuts." She looked up at Angel, an innocent look on her face. "Do you want the quick and easy answer, or the long and technical version?"

"Quick and easy," Spike piped up. "We can get the long and technical later."

"A dimensional portal. One very large sheet of glass, several miles of wire, and some pretty sophisticated technology." Alexa shrugged. "No way back."

Angel looked as dubious as Shannon had when Alexa had been preparing the equipment before they left. "You planned on coming here?"

Alexa shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Before the demons, the dragons, and the near-death experience." Shannon stood, switching one sword to the other hand so she could toss her duffel over her shoulder. "Can we find someplace where I can clean up?"

Angel indicated the way back they had come. "The hotel has running water, you can clean up there."

"Thank you." Shannon smiled gratefully at Angel, and the four of them trooped back to the hotel, Angel directing the two women to unoccupied rooms to clean up as he ducked into his room to do the same.

Alexa collapsed onto the bed in the room she'd been given after she'd washed the blood from her body, her clothing laying crumpled on the floor of the bathroom. She ignored the fact there were no sheets on the matress, soon falling asleep, exausted.

The next morning, Alexa wandered downstairs, dressed in another pair of black jeans and a tank top, her normal headscarf keeping her hair out of her face. She yawned as she stepped into the lobby, rolling her neck. "Morning."

"Morning, sleepyhead." Shannon looked up from the breakfast she'd scrounged up, offering a slice of toast to the other woman. "It's almost eleven."

"And you're just getting breakfast," Alexa observed, taking the toast. "I don't see the blond bloodsucker or the brooding one. Do you suppose they're up yet?"

Shannon snorted. "You would notice their absence. No, I haven't seen them myself. But they might be up, for all I know. Besides, they have names."

Alexa shrugged, poking around the lobby, munching on the slice of toast. "And?"

Shannon rolled her eyes, spotting one of the vampires coming down the stairs, swollowing her mouthful of food. "Morning."

"Morning." Angel nodded to Shannon. "I didn't get your names last night. I'm Angel"

Alexa chuckled. "We know. I'm Alexa Savage, she's Shannon Morgan."

"You knew?"

"Um..." Alexa looked over to Shannon for some support, and the other woman snickered, waving her to continue digging the hole deeper on her own. "Well... yourethetitlecharacterofashowbackhome," she mumbled rapidly, stringing all the words together into one.

"What?" Angel looked confused.

"There's a T.V. show back home called Angel. You're the star character. Spike comes in in season 5, and we made the jump to correspond with the end of the show. I think." Shannon looked over at Alexa, raising an eyebrow.

"That was the theory, anyway. I don't think it quite worked the way James or I thought it would. But that's why it was theory, not fact." Alexa smiled sheepishly. "But I can add to the notes, now, with some actual data on how the theory stands up to reality."

Angel walked away as the two women started debating the merit of taking notes on dimensional travel when they wouldn't get to put them to use, shaking his head. Spike came down a short while later, into the middle of an arguement that had managed to change subject somewhere in the middle.

"Did I miss something?" He joined Angel over to one side, shooting an odd look at the two women.

"Just some techno babble about how they got here, and an arguement over blowing up a house."


	5. Chapter 04

Chapter 4

"What do you mean, if they want to be found?" Lindsey stared at James as the taller man reached into the fridge, pulling out another root beer, and tossing it to him.

James shrugged. "I'm thinking, with Alexa having blown up her house, that she didn't want anyone, including me, to find out where she was going. And wherever that is, Shannon had to have wanted to go as well."

"Wait, _Alexa_ blew up the house?" Lindsey gave James a disbelieving look. "I'll believe many things of Alexa, but blowing up her own house?"

"So she said in her letter to me. Which you can't read, it's ashes somewhere in the sewers." James headed back into the main room, the other man following him. "Though I'm still trying to figure out why she blew up the house, instead of having me come dismantle the machine after she left. Dissapear quietly, instead of making everyone think she's dead."

Lindsey took his seat on the couch again, James taking the over-stuffed seat across the coffee table from him. "You said it earlier. If she doesn't want to be found, it would make sense. No one goes looking for a dead person." He took a sip of the root beer, thinking. "Is there anyway you can recreate this machine?"

James stared at Lindsey now, a disbelieving look on his face. "I built the first one, what makes you think I _couldn't_ build another? But that still doesn't help us find them. I wouldn't know where to start looking for them."

"What's her favorite TV show? Her favorite movie?"

"Angel, mostly because it has Spike in it. And her favorite movie is Bram Stoker's Dracula. She has a bit of a vampire obsession." James shrugged. "Why?"

"Shannon's favorite movie is Once Upon a Time in Mexico, so I doubt they could agree on a movie to use as a place to go. But I know she had a number of shows she liked. Angel was one of the ones she was collecting, actually."

"So was Alexa." James stood, heading into his office. "If they used that as a place to go, I may be able to reconstruct the portal, and have an anchor point that's relatively static. The Hyperion Hotel." He sat down at his computer, opening up a browser window, and looking for studio stills of the hotel they used for the Hyperion Hotel in the show. "All I need to get is an image of the interior, after Angel Investigations moved into the hotel. The lobby is probably the best."

"You watched the show?" Lindsey joined him in the office, pacing the floor in front of the office.

"When Alexa had it on the TV, and wouldn't stop in the middle of an episode." James shrugged, then looked up. "I think there was a charac..."

Lindsey winced. "Don't remind me. I'm not sure what I did to make an enemy out of the writers, or Lilah, but neither of us are very fond of the show."

"I don't think Faith or Gunn would like it either." James glanced back at his browser, sorting through the images, looking for a high-resolution one he could use for a projection. "I think the Gunn in the show was dying in the final episode, and Faith was a Slayer-gone-bad."

"So we noticed," Lindsey replied dryly. "Have you found an image?"

"Got one, but it's not going to do us much good until the machine is built. And that takes room I don't have at the apartment, and a LOT of money. It took us most of Alexa's royalties from her book to build the first one. I was paying her morgage bills out of my salary for a year." James paused. "And she caused a black out across New York last night with the amount of power it draws. If the people of the city knew that, she's best off on the other side of the portal. No one to lynch her."

"I'll find the money, and the space. All you need to do is build the machine, and make sure you can get me to where they are." Lindsey headed for the door. There were some phone calls he had to make, and soon.

"You intend to go after them yourself?" James had followed him into the main room, looking at him skeptically.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Well...." James paused. "You might want to hope they are there when you show up. Or you're going to end up dead. Very dead."

"Why, because Angel hates me? I'll deal with that when I get there. Right now, I'm just concerned with making sure I can get there, and find out why Shannon and Alexa decided to do this." He stepped out the door. "I will talk with you again later, Mr. Savage."

"Call me James." James met his gaze and held it a moment. "Good luck."

Lindsey nodded. "Thank you." He paused. "And I'm Lindsey."

"Gotcha. Later, then." James shut the door, and Lindsey went back down to his car, flipping open his cell phone again, dialing a familiar number.

"Hello, Lindsey. How are things going in New York?"

"Interesting, Lilah. Alexa's house was blown up last night, while Shannon was visiting her. The investigators will tell me if they find anything of interest, or if they find their bodies."

There was silence on the other end a moment. "There's something else, Lindsey."

"Not over the phone. I'm arranging a private memorial service for next weekend, since Charles will be back from his honeymoon by then. You need to be there."

"I will. And you are going to tell me what's going on, Lindsey." Lilah's tone brooked no arguement.

"Yeah, Lilah. I'll see you Saturday, meet at my apartment, and we'll go to the cemetary from there."

"You're going to call Faith and Charles?"

"As soon as I get off the phone with you." Lindsey waited until Lilah had said goodbye to end the call, than dialed Faith, repeating the same information to her, and he left a message on Gunn's answering machine.

"Now, to arrange a memorial service, and find out if the detective has anything new to tell me."


	6. Chapter 05

Chapter 5

Alexa looked up from the banter with Shannon, and grinned when she saw Spike. "Mornin', Spike!" She wandered over, grabbing another piece of toast off of Shannon's plate.

Spike gave her an odd look. "I didn't tell her my name."

"Um." Alexa paused. "Well, looks like I have to explain it twice..."

"You didn't explain it last time, Alexa."

Alexa rolled her eyes at Shannon's comment. "Anyway. You're a character on a TV show back home, one of the shows I actually watched. Simple as that."

"You forgot the title." Shannon turned to face them. "The show's called Angel." She nodded towards Angel. "Named after him, of course."

"Figures they name it after the brooding wanker." Spike shrugged. "Is there any blood in the fridge?" He looked over at Angel, who shrugged.

"Haven't checked yet."

Spike muttered something uncomplimentary before going into the back to look for blood.

Alexa gulped down the last of her toast, and bounded up the stairs, returning with a laptop. She curled up in one of the chairs, and a momemnt later, music filled the lobby as she worked, typing an entry into her journal.

"Don't tell me you're going to write notes on how the machine worked, Alexa." Shannon glanced over at the screen of the laptop and groand. "She is. Alexa, they're not going to be any use in using the machine."

"And? I'm going to use the machine in a story. Maybe. Eventually. And the notes will help." Alexa glanced up as Angel wandered over, and snapped the screen shut. "Nuh-uh. You don't get to see the journal, broody boy."

"Broody boy?" Angel gave her a look of disbelief, and Shannon chuckled.

"Her favorite insult to throw at the screen while we were watching the episodes of Angel. Or to use when discussing the various merits of the show."

"One of those merits being everybody's favorite blond bloodsucker, Spike." Alexa grinned as the mentioned vampire came back into the room with a glass fo blood in hand.

"In your opinion." Shannon raised an eyebrow. "He wasn't my favorite vampire in the show."

"No, of course not. You preferred the one with a curse." Alexa shrugged, ignoring the confused look that passed between Angel and Spike. "Speaking of which, would you quit lurking over my shoulder, oh brooding one? I'm not about to share my notes on the machine."

Angel moved with a mumbled apology, dissapearing into the back in search of his own breakfast.

Alexa opened the laptop again, continuing with her notes.

"Do you have any games on that?" Spike wandered over as she closed out the program, and was treated to a wallpaper of himself.

"Um..." Alexa looked up at the surprised expression on his face. "Not really. Just Solitare Antics and Masque Mahjongg. I use it for writing and website design, mostly."

There was silence from Spike, and Shannon looked over at Alexa's screen, chuckling.

"You left the Spike wallpaper up when you packed the laptop?"

"Yeah." Alexa changed the wallpaper, flags of pink in her cheeks. "It's my favorite wallpaper, Shannon!"

Angel came out, and gave the women a puzzled look when he saw the bemused expression on Spike's face.

"Alexa had her 'Faces of Spike' wallpaper up on her laptop," Shannon offered in explaination. "I'm sure he'll recover from the shock of having an interdimension stalker soon enough."

"Hey! I'm not a stalker!" Alexa mock-scowled at Shannon, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm a sweet little angel."

"Your halo's on crooked again, Alexa. I can see the horns holding it up," Shannon replied.

"Damn. And I just had it repainted and polished and everything!" Alexa giggled, a grin on her face, and an ansering smile came to Shannon's.


	7. Chapter 06

Chapter 6

Lindsey stood quietly as a salute was fired, his eyes catching James's where he stood next to his parents. The younger man gave a slight nod, he would be at the meeting later.

The gathering broke up after condolences had been given to the family, and a small group gathered at Lindsey's apartment that evening.

"So, Lindsey, what is going on?" Lilah crossed her arms, her feet planted firmly as she waited for his explaination. Near her, on the couch, Gunn's expression was almost a match for hers.

Jillian Locke looked up from her laptop, perched on Lindsey's kitchen counter, raising an eyebrow in curiosity, having already heard from James about the letter Alexa had sent him. She poked Weasley in the shoulder, the academic looking up from his book, startled.

Lindsey took his usual seat in the arm chair before replying. "They didn't find Alexa or Shannon's bodies in the rubble, or parts of them. They found some unrecognizable pieces of what they think were computer hardware, and a map on the back of a scrap of wood with a map of the bomb locations."

"James said Alexa had blown up her own house when he called earlier," Jillian piped up. "And if they haven't found the bodies, I'd lay bets that the machine worked."

"What machine?" Lilah turned her attention to Jillian, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"In theory, it is a computer system and programming to allow someone, or more than one someone, to break the barrier between one reality and another, provided one has access to an image of some sort. We were working on eliminating the need for images, but Alexa was getting impatient. She tested it, and from what we've seen, theory works in practice. And she blacked out New York City, which matches the estimated power draw needed to break the dimensional barrier." James replied in Jillian's stead. "It was Alexa's pet project and theory. Weasley did the research, Jillian developed the hardware, and I developed the software."

Lindsey gave James an annoyed look. "You didn't tell me that earlier."

"You didn't ask." James shrugged. "Anyway. There are a number of places she could have gone, but the most viable option we've been able to come up with is the Angel and Buffy universe. Particularly, Los Angeles, shortly before the end of the last episode of Angel."

"It's the only DVD missing from Shannon's collection. And none of Alexa's DVDs are missing at all." Lindsey took up the thread of narration again. "James still has all the notes to build the machine, but the materials cost more than he can afford."

"Wait a minute." Gunn interrupted Lindsey. "What are you planning to do?"

"Go after them," Lindsey said simply, and the room erupted into chaos.

A few hours later, once everyone had calmed down, and food had been ordered, Lindsey and James finished laying out the plan as they had roughed it out.

"And you're going to need money from all of us to get the materials for this, correct, Lindsey?" Lilah raised an eyebrow, and Lindsey nodded.

"I can't afford much, Lindsey. Not with a new wife, and we're hoping to get a house in a few years." Gunn shook his head apologetically.

"I'm putting all of my money into this project, since I won't be back to need it. That only covers about half the materials. We can't touch any of Alexa's money, not until it gets through all the estate stuff. And Shannon's is tied up in the same way."

"Whatever they left behind, anyway," James interjected. "I checked Alexa's bank account. It was drained dry before she left. She took every penny she'd saved with her. I don't know about Shannon, but I doubt there would be much money left in her name, either."

"I'll put my money in the pot." Jillian looked over at Lindsey. "I'm coming with you, like it or not, Lindsey."

He frowned, but nodded after a moment. "Where does that put us?"

"You're still short money to fully fund the project." Weasley had been quiet until then, and the whole group turned to look at him. "Approximately the cost of the glass and the projector, actually. I can cover that."

"We'll split the cost," Lilah said rapidly. "And that will cover everything to go after them. But what about your lives here? Someone's bound to miss you."

"I can choose to retire from active duty in four months, when my re-enlistment comes up, and I'll wrap up my other affairs shortly before departure." Lindsey paused, looking over at Jillian. "You, Jillian?"

"I've been a civillian contractor for the last year, Lindsey, so I don't need to worry about re-enlistment coming up. Don't you keep up on the news?"

"Apparently not." Lindsey shrugged. "James, how long will it take to build the machine, and prepare it for use?"

"Anywhere between three months and a year, depending on how long it takes to aquire the neccessary hardware, and run the variables. Possibly longer if problems arise."

"I have my notes on hardware production for the machine from last time. We shouldn't have any production problems like we did last time." Jillian shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe new ones, but not any of the old ones."

"The research won't have to be done a second time, and I'm close to a theory on travel without images. Using what amounts to a phone number, instead," added Wesley.

"In other words, a Stargate." James grinned at the confusion on Wesley's face. "Don't worry about it, Wes. It's a tv show."

"Oh. Unfamiliar territory." Wesley shrugged. "If you want to use that metaphor to better understand it, then whatever works." He turned his attention back to the heavy book in his lap, his brow furrowing in concentration.

"And the software, James?"

"All I have to do is run the variables. And if Wesley finishes with his stargate theory before the machine is finished, I'll work on incorperating that into the program. It might allow us to retrieve you at a later point. If it works."


	8. Chapter 07

Chapter 7

Alexa looked up from her laptop as the door to the hotel opened, and a young woman dressed all in black came in. She was alone in the lobby, the two vampires upstairs sleeping through the middle of the day, and Shannon in the kitchen looking at what there was in the way of food.

"Can I help you?" She closed the laptop, tilting her head with curiosity,

The woman pulled the hood of her trenchcoat down, shaking out her brown hair. "I'm looking for Angelus. Is he here?"

"Not at the moment. Can I give him a message for you?" Alexa set the laptop to one side, wishing she had her katana with her, or that Shannon would come out of the kitchen. The woman made her uneasy, watching her through unblinking green eyes.

"No need. I'll come back later." She turned to go, pulling up her hood once more.

"Wait! I didn't catch your name!"

There was a chuckle from the woman. "I didn't give it."

Shannon came out of the kitchen as the door swung shut behind the woman. "Who was that?"

"Damned if I know." Alexa scowled, pulling her laptop back into her lap. "She came looking for Angel, though."

Shannon frowned. "Wierd," she muttered, and Alexa raised an eyebrow.

"What? People looking for Angel, although by definition wierd, aren't all _that_ unusual. Not if you've watched the show, anyway, which you and I have."

"No, it's not that." Shannon paused. "She was a demon, but there was something off about her."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean, she's a demon?" Alexa gave Shannon an odd look. "And how would you know that?"

"Remember those years I was in Tibet?"

"Yeah. What does that have to do with you knowing that chick was a demon?"

"Patience. I'm getting to that." Shannon gave Alexa an exasperated look. "I was being trained how to control my powere. I can call demons, and I can tell when a demon is nearby."

"Right." Alexa's voice was flat. "Shannon, there are no demons back home like there are here."

"That doesn't mean we don't have them." Shannon shrugged. "And our world has demon callers and other magical people."

"And now we're in demon central with a demon magnet. Great."

"Now who's the pessimist?" Shannon snickered at the scowl on Alexa's face. "Seriously, Alexa, I'm not a demon magnet. Not unless I want to be."

"Which means that one showed up all on her own, doesn't it?"

"Mm-hmm." Shannon nodded. "I wonder what she wanted to do with Angel?"

Natalie Wolfe settled onto the roof of a building across the street from the hotel, a crossbow set up on a tripod, loaded with a wood-shafted arrow. Her eyes melted from green to gold, and her skin took on a mottled pattern the same shade as her eyes. She checked the stone tip of the arrow, making sure it was still smooth and unchipped. Or else this would be a pointless exercise.

"Which one of you is going to be first, Angelus? You or William?" she whispered. "A century of tracking you, six months setting things up for the capture, and your friends have to come out of nowhere and complicate things."

She almost snarled when her cell phone rang, and she pulled it out, answering it with a growl.

"Natalie. Have you caught him yet?" The man's voice was annoyed, and she rolled her eyes.

"Patience, MacInnis. These things take time. The hunt is almost over, and you will have them back soon."

"How soon, Natalie? I'm growing impatient."

She couted backwards from ten before she answered. It was like working with a small child. "Another month at most."

"You had better get them back for me. I've never lost a soul from my collection before, and I'm not about to let it out that I have now."

"MacInnis, you lost Angelus's soul a century ago to a gypsy spell. You're getting sloppy, and I can't fix all of your mistakes." She glanced over at the hotel as the door opened, and shook her head. It was one of the women, not her prey. "And as for William's, you can't always argue with the Powers That Be."

"Just get them back, Natalie, and don't argue semantics with me. I made you, I can unmake you just as easily." There was a click as MacInnis hung up the phone.

"I would love to see you try, MacInnis. Your creation has gotten stronger than you know," Natalie muttered, turning off the cell phone before she put it back in her pocket. She looked to the hotel again, and froze. The woman who'd come out was looking straight at her.

The woman nodded deliberately, before stepping back inside. She had known exactly where Natalie was, and the demon cursed. This was not a good sign. "He doesn't pay me enough for this."

Shannon ducked back inside, shaking her head. "She's out there, on the roof of the building across the street. I don't know what she's doing, but she's not looking for Angel to have a friendly cup of coffee." She paused. "Did she ask for Angel, or Angelus?"

Alexa frowned a moment. "She said she was looking for Angelus. Do you think she's a vampire hunter?"

"A demon?" Shannon shook her head. "I don't think so. It's possible, but not probable."

"Right." Alexa turned off her laptop, and headed upstairs.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting my katana in case the brunette demon walks back in," Alexa threw over her shoulder as she went down the hall on the second floor. "She gives me the creeps!"


	9. Chapter 08

Chapter 8

"You have a very odd sense of humor, James," Wesley commented as he looked up from his pages of notes at the cartoon sketch that was posted up on the wall. "What does a large ring with Egyptian hieroglyphics on it have to do with redesigning how we transfer people and materials between worlds?"

Jillian rolled her eyes from her perch at a lab bench, where she was carefully examining her latest batch of circuits for the machine. "You really are in the dark when it comes to the latest TV shows, Wesley. That's a stargate, from the movie by the same name, and the series Stargate SG-1."

"I've heard of Stargate, though I haven't had the chance to watch it yet. It's really not the type of movie I care to watch." Wesley tucked his pen behind his ear, setting his notes aside for the moment. "It appears rather unsuited for the purpose of travel anywhere. There is no medium through which to establish a gateway, even one which can't return the traveller to their starting point."

"You have to dial the destination up first, then it opens up a wormhole to another stargate at your destination point. They walk through at one end, have a rough ride, and come out some place else. Always in the same universe, though."

"Which has nothing to do with what we're working on. And how does the theory behind that work? You have to have a medium to work through, or you're going to exponentially increase your power consumption to create that medium, as well as the gateway. It isn't a logical system at all." Wesley frowned, shaking his head. "The machine already takes the same kind of power as a large city to open and maintain the gateway for human travel, and it would take at least as much power, possibly more, to create and maintian the medium to anchor the departure point."

"It's a sci-fi TV show, Wesley. It doesn't have to make sense." James didn't even look up from the computer screen. "I have as good an image of the interior of the Hyperion Hotel as I'm going to get. Unless you can give me specs on the theory you're working on that doesn't need an image?"

"Not yet." Wesley sighed, pulling his pencil from behind his ear, and picking his notes back up. "There are still several flaws in it that I have to work out before we can plug in the new equations, and expect to get somewhere we can recognize, whole, and not trapped in something unfortunate. Like a wall."

"Eww." Jillian wrinkled her nose. "That's not an image I need, Wesley!"

Wesley shrugged, his mind already drawn into the world of figures and equations that was his current research project.

Jillian hummed as she worked under the desk that formed the base for the computer console she was building. They had decided to cut out many of the luxeries they had designed for the original prototype, to speed up the construction. She could hear James instructing Lindsey and Gunn in settling the sheet of glass into place in its sillicon and metal base, and the annoyed comment from Wesley about her choice in music.

"Wesley, deal with it." She slid out from under the desk to give the scholar an annoyed look. "It helps me work, and we're trying to get this built as soon as possible." She glanced over at Lindsey a moment. "He's gotten more determined in the last month about getting this project done. It's almost frightening."

"You aren't the one who has to listen to him mutter about something being wrong with Shannon, and watch him pace a rut in the carpet at James's apartment." Wesley glanced over at Lindsey, then back to Jillian. "Would an extra pair of hands be of any help?"

Jillain nodded. "Yes, an extra pair of hands would be helpful." She indicated the other side of the desk. "Stand over there, and do exactly what I tell you to do. Which will be mostly threading wires through various holes in the surface of the desk at the moment. The hard part comes later." She slid back under the desk as Wesley went to the other side of the desk.

It took them the next hour to fnish threading all the wires, and lay them out so they would run to where they needed patched in, while James put Lindsey and Gunn to work setting up the projector. He finished the adjustments on the base for the glass sheet, leaving it unconnected to the computer that Jillian was beginning to construct around the desk.

"I wish we had her notes on the final fine-tunings she did on the machine," muttered James as he made another slight change to the contacts that ran up both sides of the glass. "For all we know, we could leave Lindsey and you scattered across LA, instead of where we're trying to get you. Or you might end up in a slightly different version of the universe, and not where Shannon and Alexa are."

"James, the theory is sound, and she wouldn't have changed the equations and algorithoms for the program. There's an infintesimal chance that we'll fail where she succeeded." Jillian rolled her eyes from under the desk. "She's an artist, not a scientist. She wouldn't have changed much in the practical department."

"I still wish we had her notes on the final tweakings. It might change the power consumption a bit, or..."

"James." Jillian interrupted him, sliding out from under the desk to meet his gaze. "Shut up, quit worrying, and help get this thing finished."

James scowled a moment, but he went back to working on the glass sheet and its connections.


	10. Chapter 09

Chapter 9

Shannon set down the binoculars, shaking her head. "I don't think she's moved from that position once in the last two weeks."

"With a crossbow aimed at the door, looking for me." Angel frowned, his brow wrinkling in confusion. "And you're sure there are no references anywhere to a demon of her kind?"

Alexa shook her head, not even looking up from her laptop. "Not a species like her. A few _really_ old mentions of a demon like her that followed vampires around, and was seriously interested in their kills. People think she collected the souls of the victims. But those only go up to the late seventeenth century. Whoever that was either was killed, went dormant, or has someone else doing their dirty work."

"Anything more recent, Alexa?" Shannon moved from the window to perch on the bed.

"One, 1735. 'A golden-skinned and golden-eyed demon was seen at the graveyard, leaving her mark on a gravestone. She's called The Collector.' That's it. Nothing more recent."

"Great. The most recent reference to a demon like that is well over two hundred years old!" Shannon scowled. "You sure there's nothing else?"

"I'm sure, Shay." Alexa closed the laptop, standing to stretch. "And I'm getting bored, holed up in this building, with no place to go, and precious little entertainment."

"We could go hit a few bars." Spike was leaning against the wall next to the door, looking as bored as Alexa felt.

"And go through the sewers? Not on your very long life, Spike. One, sewers equal gross factor. Two, she could have booby trapped them." Alexa shook her head. "I happen to like staying in one piece, without being a pincushion for some out of date weaponry."

Shannon shook her head, going back to the window. She frowned a moment later, reaching for the binoculars. "She did say she'd come back later, right, Alexa?"

"Yeah, why?" Alexa looked over at Shannon, raising an eyebrow in question.

"We're about to have company. She's on the move, and headed towards us."

"Lovely. Time for the welcoming committee to go down and greet her."

"That may not be neccessary." Shannon had slowly turned, her gaze fixed on the door. "Damn she moves fast! Spike, move it!"

Spike shoved away from the wall just in time to avoid the stake that came through the wall where his heart would have been if he'd stayed put. The end was tipped with a polished gem, and the whole thing was wrapped in silver wire.

"What the fuck?!" Alexa grabbed her katana up from beside the bed. "Shannon, about what you said earlier about a demon being an unlikely vampire hunter? I think that's a theory that needs revision!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Shannon snapped back as the stake was pulled free of the wall from the other side. An eery silence descended over the room as they waited for the demon to make the next move.

Natalie listened for movement in the room, waiting patiently outside the door. The only sound she could hear was the pounding of two hearts. She'd missed the vampire next to the door, the woman who had been able to locate her earlier - a demon tracker, at the very least - having warned him before she could complete the strike. Irritating.

"You can't stay in there forever, Angelus." She often found her prey willing to talk themselves right into her traps, or at least, line of sight. "Why don't you come out, and we'll talk."

There was a snort from inside the room. "You just tried to stake Spike, and now you say you're willing to talk with Angel?" That was the woman who'd been in the lobby, and Natalie shook her head.

"I can be reasonable. I don't have to kill any of you to get what I came for."

"Really?" The voice was full of sarcasm. "And we can choose not to believe you. I'm sorry, try again."

"Or you can come in and talk to us. Without the weapons." That was the demon-tracking mortal. "Just set them down as you come in, and sit down next to the window like a good little demon."

Natalie's mind fogged a moment, and she shook her head, clearing it, only to find herself in the chair next to the window, all four between her and her weapons. The red-haired woman snickered, nodding to the brunette.

"Nice display of power, Shay." She turned her eyes back to Natalie, and her voice became colder. "And now, missie, you can make that introduction you neglected to earlier."

Natalie raised an eyebrow, remaining silent. This was not how she'd anticipated the game progressing. These two women were more of a neuisence than she had originally thought they'd be.

The red-head scowled at her continued silence, and looked over at the woman she'd called Shay again. "Could you put the lean on her, or something, Shay?"

Angelus came over while the woman was talking - she'd called him Angel earlier, curiously - and was staring at her choker. "What's in the locket?"

Natalie was startled. "What?"

He gestured to the locket on her chocker, the others turning their attention to his question. "What's in the locket."

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I don't care."

"How can you not know what's in the locket?" Alexa frowned in confusion. "Didn't you put in whatever's in it?"

The demon shook her head. "No."

Angel reached out to touch it, and it sprung open, making the demon jump slightly.

"It's not supposed to do that. It doesn't open for anyone."

"Apparently it opens for Angel." Shannon sounded annoyed, but she was watching Angel, and was surprised to see the flash of pain in his expression before he snapped the locket shut, and turned away. "Angel?"

Alexa blinked, looking over at Spike a moment, raising an eyebrow in question. He shrugged, and she sighed, turning back towards the demon. She was gone. "FUCK!"

Shannon turned back around, and she echoed Alexa's cursing. The demon was gone, and she'd taken her gear with her.

"And we still don't know her name!"


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Shannon watched Angel pace, leaning against the headboard of the bed. He'd not come down from his room in the last three days, and she had come up, worried about him. "What was in the locket? You've been brooding in your room since you saw it."

Angel looked over at her, annoyance flashing across his face. "It's none of your business."

She snorted. "Excuse me, oh brooding one, for being concerned about you. You haven't come out of your room, even for meals, for three days, and you only let me in because I threatened to drag up your bad-ass alter-ego."

"I'm fine. Just concerned about having a demon like her on the loose."

"Bullshit." Shannon swung her legs over the side of the bed, stalking over to Angel. She grabbed his arm, swinging him around to face her. "You have all three of us worried..."

"Spike wouldn't worry about me unless his own life was on the line." Angel scowled, and Shannon's eyes narrowed. She reached out, and he felt himself get shoved into the back of his own mind, a helpless observer.

"Good evening, dinner." Angelus grinned at Shannon, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Dinner? I don't think so, Angelus."

He chuckled, stalking her across the room to trap her against the wall. "Really?" He leaned forward, dropping his voice to an amused whisper. "Than what do you think you are?"

"In charge." Shannon ducked out from under his arm, keeping him from moving while she did so. "You tell me what I'm trying to find out, and you'll get a nice little reward." She sat on the edge of the bed, watching him as he turned twoards her. "Kapish?"

"You're a demon caller." Angelus moved forward slowly, watching her with interest.

Shannon nodded her head. "Yes. Are you going to help?"

"Depends on the reward."

"Dinner, and dessert." Shannon raised an eyebrow at Angelus. "Sufficient?"

He chuckled, prowling towards her with a smirk on his face. "It's a deal. What did you want to know?"

"What was in the locket around the demon's neck that bothered Angel?"

"A picture of his sister. A delicious little morsel, she was. Never saw the end coming." Angelus shrugged, close enough to pull Shannon to her feet. "Was that all?"

"Was that all that was in the locket?"

Angelus scowled, his gaze fixed on the pulse point in her neck. "It was engraved. With his sister's name, and another name. Isobel Willow."

Shannon rested her hands on his shoulders. "Nothing else?"

"Nothing else." Angelus sighed, giving her an exasperated look. "Can I have my dinner in peace?"

She dug her fingers into his shoulder, tilting her head to one side to expose her neck. "Don't ruin dessert, Angelus."

Alexa paced the lobby of the hotel, occassionally shooting glances up the stairs. "What's taking her so long?" She headed for the stairs. "I'm going to go see if she's all right."

Spike caught her arm before she'd gone more than two steps up. "Leave them be, muffin. She'll come down when she has the information she's trying to get." He smiled devilishly at her. "How about a trip to a bar?"

Alexa raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out, Spike?" She chuckled, tilting her head at the blond vampire. "What the hell." She turned, grabbing her jacket off the chair she'd left it slung over, and the two headed out the door. "Oi, Spike. You have keys to the car?"

He held up the keys with a grin.

"Coolness." She returned the grin. "How about a joyride, and we'll hit that bar later?"

Spike shrugged, and they headed for the car, neither one noticing the figure watching them as they got in, and sped off.

Natalie watched the car pull away from the hotel, her hood pulled up to hide her face as she stood on the roof of the Hyperion. "I'll deal with you later, William." She turned towards the door that led into the hotel. "Ready or not, Angelus, here I come."

Author's Note: There is a NC17 scene to go with this chapter. If you would like to read that scene, please email me at , and I will send you the scene.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lindsey carefully packed the duffel with clothing, and a few other items. He touched the glass of a snapshot of Shannon and him on the beach a moment before wrapping it in a pair of slacks, and tucking it into the center of the duffel. On top he placed a nine millimeter semi-automatic, along with the ammunition for it, and a large bowie knife.

He dressed with the same care he'd packed the duffel. Black trousers, combat boots, and a close-fitting black t-shirt. A gun belt with his other nine millimeter, another knife, and a bandolier with a matched set of throwing knives, and more magazines for the nine millimeter.

In the main room of the apartment, Jillian was waiting, and she raised an eyebrow at his attire. "You look like you're ready to go into a war zone, Lindsey. Do you really expect it to be that bad?"

"Possibly. I don't anticipate having a friendly welcome, certainly." A wry smile touched his face. "Not with how my double in their universe was portrayed."

"As a completely heartless bastard. Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't expect the kindest of welcomes." Jillian chuckled. "Well, I'm ready to go whenever you are." She looked over at James. "Is the machine warmed up?"

"And ready to activate the projector and interface whenever you're ready." James looked up as the door opened again, and Wesley slipped in. "Coming to see how well the machine works, Wes?"

Wesley nodded, and the other three turned back to the machine.

"Open the interface, James." Lindsey waited as the static image of the interior of the Hyperion Hotel's lobby came up, a ghostly image on the sheet of glass. He picked up the duffel, and nodded to Jillian, the two walking up to the glass, and stepping through. They heard a shout from James as they did so, but it was too late to step back from the commitment.

A long, painful moment later, they stumbled across the floor of the lobby, and Lindsey felt something, or rather, someone, tackle him, sending both sprawling in a heap. He shoved the person off, rolling to his feet as he pulled the knife at his hip. He blinked, staring at the person who was sorting themselves out.

"Wesley? What are you doing here?"

The scholar shrugged, straightening his glasses. "This is an excellent research opportunity, and I couldn't pass it up."

"So you came through without anything but the clothes on your back?" Jillian raised an eyebrow, looking over at Lindsey, who shrugged, resheathing the knife.

"Actually, I did bring a carry bag with a few spare changes of clothing, and my notes on the project." Wesley indicated the duffel that had careened to a stop at the base of the stairs. "There." He stood, dusting himself off. "Shall we start looking for Shannon and Alexa?"

Jillian sighed, grabbing the arm of the scholar. "You're going to sit over here, and stay with your duffel and mine, while Lindsey and I go looking for Shannon and Alexa. And if you want something to do, look around the lobby, but don't go anywhere."

Wesley nodded, picking up his duffel. "I will await your return here."

Natalie ducked into the shadows when she heard voices below in the lobby, carefully peering out from behind the column. Three people, two men and a woman, had come out of nowhere, and looked to be making themselves at home. The one man was left to guard their gear, while the other moved with military precision up one flight of stairs, the woman up the other.

She moved rapidly away, making no more noise than a mouse, watching as the two moved down the hall. Once they were out of sight, she went down into the lobby, observing the one left behind from a shadowed corner. He hummed softly as he pulled out a thick book from one of the duffels, settling into a chair with it on his lap, opening it to the middle.

Tilting her head, she moved closer, wondering what he was reading. Her eyes widened when she saw a rough sketch of a demon, and a slight noise escaped her.

"Hello? Is someone there? Jillian? Lindsey?" The man looked up, twisting his head around, and froze when he saw her. "Hello. Um, do you live here?"

"No." Natalie shook her head. "How did you do that? Arrive here out of thin air? None of you are demons."

"No, we're not. We're human, but we're not from this dimension." He paused. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. And you are?"

"Natalie Wolfe." She moved out of the shadows, watching him warily. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just here to learn what I can. Lindsey and Jillian are here looking for two of our friends who came here several weeks ago." Wesley gave her a hopeful look. "You wouldn't happen to have seen them, would you?"

"I might have. What do they look like?"

"Alexa is about five and a half feet tall, with dark red hair, and a bit of an attitude, actually. And Shannon's about the same height, brown haired and violet eyed, according to Lindsey. I never met her myself."

Natalie filed the names of the two women she'd encountered earlier away for future reference. "I've seen them."

"Really?" Wesley brightened. "That's excellent. Lindsey and Jillian will be relieved to know they're all right."

Natalie shrugged, sittin gracefully across from Wesley. "Tell me about your world, and how you got here."

"I'll tell you what I can, but without Alexa's permission, I really shouldn't talk about how the machine works." Wesley closed the book, and set it aside. "But I can tell you about my world. What would you like to know?"

Lindsey moved down the hallway slowly, his senses alert for anything. A soft cry caught his attention, and he moved towards it, frowning. It sounded familiar. Coming to a door, he pressed against it, the sounds coming from the other side. His face went red with a mixture of embaressment and anger. He had found Shannon, and it looked like she'd wasted no time in finding herself a new boyfriend.

He waited until the sounds of sex had faded before knocking on the door. There was utter silence on the other side a moment, then a male voice spoke.

"Who's there?"

"Is Shannon in there?"

Shannon's eyes went wide when she heard the reply to Angelus's question. "What is he doing here?" she muttered as she reached for her discarded tank top and jeans. She dressed rapidly, tossing Angelus his jeans, and hissing at him to get dressed. Once he had the jeans on, she opened the door to find a stony-faced Lindsey on the other side. Angel came up beside her, Shannon sending Angelus back into his dorment state.

"Lindsey, what the fuck are you doing here?" She kept herself between her ex-boyfriend and Angel, sensing the animosity rolling off the vampire behind her. "I thought Alexa blew up the machine."

"She did. James rebuilt it." Lindsey looked over her shoulder at Angel. "New boyfriend?"

"Don't start, Lindsey. I'm not your girlfriend anymore, and you can't tell me what to do."

"Wait a minute." Angel turned her around to face him, his expression unreadable. "You and him dated?"

"For a few months, quite some time ago, when Alexa decided to set me up after I got back from Tibet." Shannon sighed, pushing away from both of the men. "Look, it's over between me and Lindsey. Has been for several months. I came here as a way to get away from him!" She looked between Lindsey's hurt expression, and Angel's stony one a moment, than threw up her hand in exasperation, and stalked away.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Wesley looked up when he heard someone coming down the stairs. Shannon was scowling, and he turned back to talk to Natalie some more, and blinked. The demon was gone. "Where'd she go?"

"Elsewhere, as soon as your attention was off her," Shannon snapped. The door opened a moment later, letting in a laughing Alexa and grinning Spike, both with a bottle in hand.

"That was a blast! Did you see the expression on the guy's face?" Alexa was looking over at Spike, and didn't notice the tension in the room, or the annoyed expression on Shannon's face.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Alexa's laughter died, and she turned to look at Shannon in confusion. "Out bar hopping with Spike." She glanced over, and saw Wesley. "Wait a minute, what's he doing here? I destroyed the machine..."

"And your brother rebuilt it." Shannon was glaring at Alexa. "And he let Lindsey go through it."

"Lindsey?" Alexa's expression brightened a moment, before she glanced at the angry expression on Shannon's face. "Um. You don't want him here."

"You can send him back. Do so." Shannon's voice was flat.

"It's not that easy, Shay. I don't have any images of back home. I couldn't get him back." Alexa backed away from Shannon slowly, using Spike as a shield between her and her friend.

"Actually, if the 'Stargate theory', as James and Jillian kept calling it, works, we could return him without an image." Wesley smiled, then blanched at the glare from Alexa. "It does have several problems still to work out, though. It may not be feasible for several months, possibly years." Now he was getting a glare from Shannon, and he yelped, heading for the stairs. It had to be safer elsewhere.

"You have a lot of nerve, fucking Shannon and then treating her like that," Lindsey snarled as he slammed Angel against the wall. He had taken the vampire by surprise, and was stronger than his counterpart here.

Angel grabbed Lindsey by the wrists. "Wait a minute. First off, I'm not the one that fucked her. Second, who the hell are you to say what I can or can't do? You don't even belong here."

"Not the one who fucked her?" Lindsey snorted. "What, is there someone else in the room that's invisible? I don't buy it." He pulled his wrists free of Angel's grasp, one hand falling on the hilt of his knife. "Besides, if I don't belong here, neither does Shannon. And I'll make sure we both get home."

Angel snorted. "Fine by me. I'm not sure what she's doing here anyway, other than making my life miserable and dregging up certain aspects of my personality I would prefer not the be dredged up." He moved away from Lindsey.

An arrow slammed into Angel's shoulder before Lindsey had a chance to reply to that. At the end of the hall, the golden demon from earlier was watching him with an unblinking gaze as she reloaded the crossbow. "Angelus."

"Who the fuck is that?" Lindsey was staring at Natalie. "What the fuck is that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Angle hissed. He grabbed Lindsay by the back of the shirt and through him towards the staricase.

Natalie ignored the mortal, aiming the crossbow at the center of Angel's chest. "I'll give your regards to those who attend your funeral, Angelus." She pulled the trigger, a slight smile on her face anticipating a clean kill.

Angel reached out and grabbed the arrow before it could come within inches of his heart. "Who are you?" he asked, snapping the arrow in two.

Natalie's eyes narrowed in anger. "My name is irrelavent. All that matters is that I am collecting something taken from my boss's collection." She pulled another gem-tipped arrow from her quiver, loading the crossbow again. "And you can't run forever, Angelus."

Shannon appeared behind Natalie, a finger to her lips. She reached out, her hands on either side of the woman's head. "Drop the weapon, demon."

Natalie froze, her expression going blank. "And if I don't?"

Shannon slowly smiled and watched as the woman's hands lowered. She could feel the demon fighting her, but she kept going until the crossbow clattered to the floor. Natalie's fingers were numb, pain shooting up her arms. "That. Be happy I didn't kill you." She took a step forward. "Now walk."

Natalie snarled, her eyes darting around, looking for an escape route. She made a note to call John when she escaped, and have him send backup. Mortal, human backup to deal with the demon caller.

Shannon slipped past Angel without looking at him, ignoring Lindsey as she followed Natalie down the stairs. "Are you boys coming?"

Lindsey picked himself up, shooting an dark glare at Angel before he followed Shannon downstairs. Alexa was perched up on the railing, watching Spike warily, and Wesley was peering out from one of the other hallways.

"Look who I caught trying to stake Angel," Shannon announced as she steered Natalie towards a chair.

"Natalie?" Wesley looked at the demon in confusion. "Why would you do that?"

Natalie kept her expression blank. "It's in the job description."

"What job description?" Angel asked. He leaned against the counter, his arms folded over his chest.

Natalie snorted, shaking her head. "You can't expect me to believe you haven't heard of me." She looked over at Angel. "After all, something about me bothers you."

Alexa came down the stairs cautiously, curling in a chair herself. "All the more reference we have is from 1735. And that isn't very helpful."

Shannon took a deep breath and closed her eyes, concentrating on gaining control of Natalie's mind. She exhaled slowly. "Tell them who you are and stop playing games.

"My name is Natalie Wolfe in this century. I was originally called Isobel Willow, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I work for John MacInnis, collecting the souls of those who have been made vampires. My current assignment is to retrieve two stolen items from his collection. The soul of the vampire called Angelus, and the soul of the vampire called William the Bloody."

"Shit on a shingle," Shannon hissed as sweat began to soak her blouse. "Keep going. The locket. Tell us about the locket."

"I don't know anything about the locket. I've had it since I was created in 1730, and I don't know where it came from, what is in it, or why it was given to me."

Shannon's hands began to shake. "Who is John MacInnis?"

"Hey, how is she supposed to collect the souls, exactly?" Alexa's voice was deceptively calm.

Shannon heard Alexa's questions. "Who is John MacInnis and how do you collect the souls?" Her eyes were squeezed shut tight as she kept control over Natalie.

"John MacInnis is my creator and my employer. The only way I know of to collect their souls is to kill them. Normally this would be not be a problem, as I could collect it as the vampire is created. But since they are already vampires, I have had special stakes and arrows created for the purpose of destroying them, and capturing their souls once more."

Shannon's body quaked. "Someone tie her up," she called. "TIE HER UP!!!"

Shannon's grip on the demon was suddenly shattered and she fell to the floor in an exhausted heap, unconscious.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Natalie fumed as she roared down the road on her motorcycle. Once again, the demon-caller had thwarted her efforts to complete her mission. She parked the bike outside an apartment, pulling out her cell phone as she climbed the stairs, and calling her employer.

"What is it, Natalie? Do you have the souls?" John sounded positively eager.

"No. They have a demon-caller. I can't do anything unless she's controlled." Natalie stalked into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. "I need back-up. Human back-up. I need her out of my way before I can retrieve the souls."

"How much back-up do you need?"

"There is the demon-caller, two mortal men, two mortal women, and the two vampires. I need enough back-up to keep the mortals out of my hair while I deal with the vampires. And someone to subdue the demon-caller."

There was silence on the other end for a moment. "Your back-up will arrive tomorrow. And they'll bring further instructions."

"Further instructions?!" Natalie squawked, but John had already hung up. She scowled. "What do you think I am? An automaton?"

She flung the phone across the room before heading into the kitchen to find dinner.

Alexa directed Lindsey to Shannon's room, where he laid her on her bed.

"Do you think she'll be all right?" Lindsey watched Shannon with concern on his face.

"I don't know. She's probably just exhausted, and a good night's sleep would do the trick for that. But I'm not sure." Alexa bit her lip. "Why don't I find you a room, and we can talk about what we're going to do about this whole mess when everyone's had sleep?"

Lindsey nodded, reluctantly following Alexa out of the room. "That would be the best course of action. Though we should have a guard out in case the demon returns."

"I'll talk to Spike. We can take care of that." She opened the door to an empty room on the far side of hers from Shannon's. "Here. Get some sleep, Lindsey." She left him to make himself at home, heading back downstairs. No one was there, except Spike. "Where did everyone else go?"

Spike shrugged. "Your friend said she'd found some empty rooms, and would go set them up in them, and Angel followed them upstairs. Probably gone off to brood."

Alexa rolled her eyes. "As usual." She plopped down on one of the sofas. "Lindsey did have one good thing to say before I sent him off to sleep. We should have someone keeping an eye out just in case the demon comes back."

"Doubt she will." Spike sprawled across the couch opposite her.

"So do I. It wouldn't make sense. Unless she's a masochist." Alexa chuckled softly. "Then she might, but she didn't strike me as someone who would willingly go where she's going to get her ass whipped." She paused, tilting her head as she looked over at Spike. "You know, that may be part of the brooding one's problem."

"What?"

"That's he's a masochist. I mean, look at him. He goes around looking for fights, looking for trouble, and he keeps getting hurt in the process. One way or another. And it's not even for people he knows, but complete strangers."

"He's trying to make up for all the mess he caused back when he was Angelus." Spike shrugged again. "Might be worth it, in some ways."

Alexa frowned. "Maybe. But at what cost? I mean, it doesn't really do anyone else any good if he hasn't gotten his own problems sorted out when he's trying to help other people with theirs. Not on that scale."

"A coping mechanism?" Spike suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Substituting solving other people's problems for solving his own." Alexa thought it over a moment. "It makes sense. But it's not a good coping mechanism. It still doesn't get him to really deal with his problems." She sighed, shaking her head. "Enh. In the end, it's not my problem, anyway." Alexa shrugged pragmatically. "So... what is a good topic of conversation this late at night?"

"Do you still have the bottle from earlier?" Spike grinned at Alexa, and she laughed, her head falling back against the arm of the sofa.

"Spike! If we're supposed to be on guard duty, we can't polish off that bottle of wine. No matter how tempting that sounds." She flashed him a bright smile. "That was fun, though. I've never really had the chance to indulge myself like that."

Spike smirked at her, and Alexa grabbed one of the cushions to throw at him. He caught it, setting it to the side as he rose to his feet, stalking towards Alexa. She let out a strangled shriek, and vaulted over the back of the couch, watching him with amusement and mischief dancing in her eyes.

She dodged to one side as he started around the couch, then yelped in indignation when he switched directions faster than she could move, and caught her around the waist. "Not fair!"

"Who said I had to be fair, muffin?" Spike raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze with a wicked glint in his own.

Alexa's breath caught, and her grin faded into a lopsided smile. She licked her lips, her hands curling against his chest, catching the nap of his shirt. "We really should be keeping an eye out," she murmured softly, not really wanting to have to think about responsibility at the moment.

"We will, muffin." Spike's lips were nearly brushing hers. "Later."

Author's Note: There is a NC17 scene to go with this chapter. If you would like to read that scene, please email me at , and I will send you the scene.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Alexa pressed her fingers to her temples, counting backwards from ten. She would not strangle Lindsey, or stake Angel. No matter how tempting. "Would you both just shut up?" She glared at the two of them. "I don't care that you have a mutual dislike for each other. That's irrelevent at the moment. We have larger problems. Like the demon that was here last night."

"If she wants to stake him, I say just let her." Lindsey got an annoyed glare from Alexa.

"Lindsey, shut up. You're good at strategy, bad at personal relations. So unless you're asked to lend your expertise in planning a raid, or something similar, keep your opinions to yourself." Alexa's tone brooked no arguement. "You know, you might have been better off if you'd stayed home."

"We'd all be better off if you'd all stayed home," Angel muttered, and Alexa switched targets for the glare.

"Well, Mr. Dark-and-Dour, we didn't, so you're going to have to deal. And you know, I have a sneaking suspicion that if Shannon and I _hadn't_ arrived when we did, you and Spike would be dead now."

"At least we wouldn't have people here who don't belong here."

"So what if we don't belong here?" Alexa's control was eroding rapidly. "You and Spike both, by rights, belong in a grave at the moment. So no one in this room belongs here."

"You less than Spike and me," Angel shot back, and Alexa's temper exploaded.

"Look, you fucking little bastard, there's no way in hell - or any other place you care to name - Shannon or I _can_ go back. We're _dead_ on our world. DEAD! And I'm quite happy with that arrangement, since, after all, I made it. Yeah, ok, I'm missed. Big fucking deal!" Her hands were clenched into fists so tightly her nails were leaving bloody half-moons in her palms. "I _hated_ it there. And I've lived under a god-damned death wish for the last five bedamned years. I was sick of it! Now I'm here, and no matter how much of a BASTARD you are about it, I'm not going anywhere."

She didn't realize the others were staring at her until Lindsey let out a strangled, "You _wanted_ to be dead?!"

Alexa paused, looking around the room at the shocked faces. "Yeah. I knew my brother could take the machine apart, and that everyone would wonder where I went. I didn't want that. I wanted to make sure no one went looking for me." She scowled, her eyes snapping with annoyance as she looked over at Lindsey. "But you had to go and screw up my well-laid plans, didn't you?"

Spike pulled her over to him, wrapping both arms around her when it looked like she would launch herself at the object of her anger. She drove an elbow into his ribs, but he didn't budge.

"Spike, let go of me," Alexa snarled.

"Not until you calm down, muffin."

After Alexa had calmed down, and they'd gotten lunch, they gathered in the lobby again, this time with Angel and Lindsey keeping themselves to glares.

"Alright. What do we know of the demon now? Anything other than what she revealed to us last night?" Alexa looked over at Wesley, who had a laptop balanced on his lap, and he shook his head. "Anything on who or what MacInnis is in this world?" Her voice was cold as ice, and Jillian and Lindsey shared a look. If Alexa caught up with MacInnis on this world, she would kill him. No matter what it took.

"Nothing yet, but I'm working on it."

"Keep working on it, Wesley. We need any information you can find on Natalie Wolfe, or MacInnis. And I want to know precisely what it will take to kill MacInnis."

"I would include that in my search perimeters anyway." Wesley gave her a confused look, and was hushed by Lindsey and Jillian.

"Just find the information, Wesley. It's what you're good at." Alexa turned to the others. Before she could open her mouth again, Angel spoke.

"Are you planning on taking over, or something?"

Alexa smiled with deceptive sweetness. "Someone has to. And this wouldn't be the first time I've been in charge. Now, as I was saying," she turned to Shannon, ignoring Angel. "Shannon, since you can sense the demon, you should stay near Angel and Spike at all times. We don't want her to get in a clear shot at either of them."

"Duh." Shannon rolled her eyes. "I'll keep an eye out for her, but I can't watch everything at once, Alexa."

"Which is where Jillian comes in. She's our resident hardware genius. Jillian, do you think you can design a security system that will warn us when anything not human comes into the hotel? And keep it from going off when Spike or Angel come or go?"

Jillian tilted her head, thinking. "Possibly. I could certainly create a security system for the hotel, and wire the building, if I have the cash to buy the materials. And I could probably adapt it so that it will sound a different alarm if what comes in isn't human, though I can't garuntee it. I'd have to know exactly what I'm supposed to be setting up the system to guard against, and how it differs from humans." She turned to her laptop, already starting to work on the problems of designing the security system.

"Consult with Wesley for information on what we're trying to keep out." Alexa paused, sticking her tongue in her cheek a moment. "Lindsey, you're good at strategy. I want you to look at the layout of the hotel, and figure out what it would take to defend it. Or at least make sure we know where all the escape routes are, and put together a plan to get out that doesn't include fighting our way out except as a last resort." She paused again. "And Spike and Angel, since they're what this demon's after, can stay here. We make her come to us if she wants to kill them, and we fight her on our ground."

Angel was apparently trying to keep from exploading at Alexa, and she raised an eyebrow at him in clear challenge.

"What makes you think you can waltz in here, where you don't belong, and tell me what to do?" His voice was calm, but there was a clear edge of anger to it.

Alexa shrugged. "If you don't want to listen to me, fine. It's not my funeral." She leaned in closer. "Besides, I have nothing to lose but my life. I don't care what you threaten me with, it doesn't matter to me."

"Alexa," Shannon muttered warningly.

"Shay, shut up. I'm beyond caring what he thinks of me." Alexa leaned back, her face impassive. "I've come up against Death before, and spat in its face. Death threats have been a part of my life since MacInnis. And him I was sure would carry them out. I'm not afraid of the vampire over there."

Shannon shook her head, rolling her eyes, but Alexa ignored her, heading into the kitchen to locate something to eat.

Author's Note: Hmm. Must remember to keep this updated better on And if anyone wants to keep up with the latest updates on Hello Spike without having to wait for me to update here, go to ?boardCML&actiondisplay&num1094156848 - I have the whole story there as it stands so far, and I update there far more regularly.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Natalie looked around at the team MacInnis had sent her, suppressing the urge to sigh. She shouldn't have to have a team. The demon-caller owed her.

"Well? What did MacInnis decide to do now?" She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the kitchen counter as she waited for an answer.

"He's not the one with further orders, ma'am. The boss said to take the demon-caller, and secure her in a safe house. The rest of the mortals are fair game for the hunt, and so is William. But she wants Angelus. Alive."

Natalie uncrossed her arms, siezing the man by the throat, and hauling him into the air. "She wants me to bring him in _alive_?"

"Yes, ma'am," the man choked out, and she let him drop, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "She has plans for him, or so I heard, ma'am. Needs him for some project of hers."

Natalie growled, and the man scrambled away from her, taking refuge behind the rest of the team. "Fine. She wants him in one piece, I will deliver him in one piece." She sighed, settling into a chair, spreading a blueprint she'd obtained for the hotel. The team gathered around, and she began to make her plans. She carefully spaced the small team around the hotel, with two held back to remove the demon-caller as soon as they got her secured.

"I will take care of the vampires if they try to leave through the sewers, but make sure that the team for the demon-caller is with me. If she doesn't come to me, she'll be making me go to her, and I want someone to take her out as soon as possible. We strike during the day, so they have no other way out." She looked up at the man who'd brought her the message from MacInnis's boss. "You are to make sure their vehicles are disabled. We don't need them driving anywhere."

He grimaced, but nodded, and she continued to give instructions. They would have to strike soon, while the demon-caller was still incapacitated. Or at least, weakened.

"Tomorrow, at noon." She smiled slightly to herself. As soon as the demon-caller was out of her way, she was looking forward to hunting down those two vampires, and getting rid of them. A frown replaced the smile. "And make sure that if you find the vampires while they're asleep, tranquilize them. It will make the capture of Angelus easier."

"Yes, ma'am," the men chorused, and she leaned back, satisfied with the plan.

Shannon looked up from where she was curled on a couch in the lobby, reading a book. "Alexa."

"Hmm?" Alexa was hunched over her laptop, typing furiously, and didn't notice the wary tone of her friend's voice.

"We have company."

"What?" Alexa looked up, then cursed when she saw the expression on Shannon's face. "Where are Spike and Angel?"

"Both upstairs, asleep. It's almost noon."

"Bitch!" Alexa snarled, saving her work and shutting the laptop with a snap. "She would attack now."

"It makes sense. Attack when the two strongest people in the hotel are at their weakest, and unable to help. Keeping them out of the picture. But it doesn't make sense for her to be where Shannon can sense her." Lindsey frowned, pulling out his nine-millimeter, and checking the cartridge. "Wesley's upstairs, and Jillian's in the basement, wiring the sewer entrance."

"Fuck!" Shannon bolted for the door to the basement. "That's where the demon is!"

Lindsey took off after Shannon, and Alexa snarled, taking the stairs up two at a time, pounding on the door to Spike's room first. "SPIKE! COMPANY!" She shouted a response to his growled question for why she was bothering him, darting down the hall to wake Angel up, and let Wesley know there was trouble.

Jillian panted, leaning against the wall as she listened for the people who'd interrupted her wiring the sewer entrance. Apparently she hadn't moved fast enough to establish a security system. She looked up when Shannon came down the stairs, followed by Lindsey. "They've stayed over by the sewer entrance, as far as I can tell."

Shannon looked at Lindsey, rubbing her hands together. "How many are there?"

"One scary-looking chick with gold skin, and two guys who look like para-military types. Heavily armed, though it looks like they're carrying trank guns instead of normal guns."

"Tranquilizers?" Lindsey looked over at Shannon with a frown. "I thought this demon was trying to _kill_ your new boyfriend."

Shannon flashed Lindsey a icy glare. "Oh, you'd so love that, wouldn't you?" She stepped towards the sewer entrance, reaching out in her mind for the demon. "For your information, Lindsey, you don't run my life." She could feel the demon moving and she took off at a run.

Natalie was listening for the voice of the demon-caller, and she nodded to the two men who had set up an ambush. She dropped back into the sewer, and began to make her way towards where the car waited to take the demon-caller away from the hotel. "Come on, demon-caller. I know you can sense me. Come to the Collector like a good girl," she whispered to herself.

Shannon moved further into the sewer, not even paying attention to Lindsey and Jillian behind her. She was getting closer. She could feel the demon's energy vibrating around her. "Where are you?" she whispered to herself in the dim light. She held her hands before her, her fingers tingling. "Come to me," she mouthed, sending out her power. "Come to me."

Natalie felt the first touch on her mind, and she stiffened, fighting the woman's control. She turned, knowing that her men would be moving in behind to cut off their retreat, and she'd seen the two stationed at the entrance with the car before she'd been caught.

"Well, I could kill you, but then, you wouldn't lead me to your boss," Shannon answered, making sure she kept a tight hold on Natalie. "So, let's go have a nice long little chat about you wanting to kill Angel and Spike and see if we can't come to some sweet little agreement." She turned, pushing Natalie ahead of her.

The two men from the entrance moved forward, watching their boss as she began to stiffly move back towards the hotel. They raised the trank guns, waiting for the demon-caller to come into their sights. The man pulled the trigger, the dart hitting Shannon between the shoulderblades.

"Motherfucker!" Shannon yelled before sliding to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Natalie moved forward with a satisfied smirk, stepping over Shannon's unconscious body. The two who'd been following the unsuspecting mortals passed her, helping with the demon-caller. The other two were face down on the sewer floor, and she ignored them, heading for the basement again. Now, to take care of her objectives.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Alexa yelped, skidding back around the corner, hissing as she held her upper arm. "Bastard son of a bitch!" Blood welled between her fingers from where the bullet had grazed her bicep.

Angel looked at the gash, pushing past the sudden bloodlust that always accompanied his seeing blood. "Let me see that," he demanded. He pulled off a strip of his t-shirt and quickly wrapped it around her arm.

Alexa nodded her thanks to Angel. "Bloody bastards. There are at least four of them down there. And they've cut us off from Shannon and Lindsey and Jillian, so if there's any trouble in the basement, they're screwed."

Angel thought about it for a moment. "There's an entrance about a block from here. As long as I stay covered, we could probably get to them from behind."

Spike came up from the other side of Alexa. "Not unless you want to get staked, Angel." He held up one of the gem-tipped arrows Natalie had used last time. "Either the demon's out there, or she has help."

Angel sighed. "We are quickly running out of options."

Alexa growled, her expression dark. "Shannonn said the demon was in the basement. Which means she has help. Did you see if they have anyone to cover the cars?"

Spike nodded. "That's where I was heading."

Angel fell into step behind Spike and suddenly stopped, dropping to his knees with a groan of pain. His hands flew to his head as he screamed. "NO!"

Alexa turned. "What the hell?"

Angel remained motionless on the floor for a few moments before he started to laugh. It was a chuckle, welling up from him until it turned totally maniacal. He threw his head back as he sat up, he arms out. "Yes. Where is she? Cause, baby, I am eating good tonight!" He stood up, his eyes finding Spike. "Hello Spike."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Angelus?"

Alexa groaned. "Crap. What on earth possessed Shannon to bring you out?"

Angelus stalked Alexa, licking his lips at the smell of blood. "I don't know. And I don't care. Come here," he growled as he pulled Alexa into his arms. He was about to taste the blood that stained the makeshift tourniquet and bellowed, releasing Alexa. "You bitch! You let me out and you won't let me feed? What kind of medieval shit is this?"

Spike pulled Alexa behind him. "Even if she did, mate, you don't get to feed on Alexa."

Alexa peered out from behind Spike. "Besides, I think we have a larger problem, Angelus. Like a demon out to stake you and Spike both?"

Angelus looked at Spike, one eyebrow raised. "And to think we used to share."

Spike shrugged. "I'm not in the mood to share her."

"One hopes that comes with the territory of a vampire having a soul," muttered Alexa.

Angelus leaned against a column, his arms folded over his chest. "So? I'm not going anywhere or doing anything until she tells me why she brought me out." He looked around. "So where is she?"

"She was headed down into the basement, last I saw her."

"Oh, Angelus!" There was an amused voice calling from the lobby. "Looking for your demon-caller?" There was a pause. "I can tell you where she is."

Angelus slowly turned at the voice, his eyes narrowing. "You!"

Natalie raised an eyebrow. "What? Surprised to see me?"

"Hardly. I figured I was done with you, oh, a hundred years ago," he snapped as he slowly stalked Natalie. "Right after I broke your neck." He reached out. "I'd be more than happy to do it again."

Natalie chuckled. "That won't stop me, dearie." She spread her arms wide, inviting him to make the first move. "But you're welcome to try."

Angelus' eyes narrowed, but he had enough sense not to approach Natalie. His body still carried the scar from the last arrow she had attempted to poke through him. "Try? No." He smiled slowly, a wicked visage as he vamped. "Succeed? Yes!"

"Oh, will you?" Natalie backed away from him slowly, circling him. "You know," she said conversationally, speaking at Alexa without turning to look at her, "you're a thorn in my side, as much as that friend of yours. I think it's time that thorn was removed, don't you?"

"Like hell, bitch!" Alexa stayed pressed against the wall out of the line of sight of the gunmen below.

Natalie shrugged, keeping her attention on Angelus. "And you, Angelus. You're causing me trouble. Why does my boss want you alive, or undead, as the case may be, now? Instead of dead?"

Angelus stalked her, keeping himself between Alexa and Natalie. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he had to keep the other woman safe. He chalked it up to being the annoying voice of his 'soulful' side. As long as he fed on someone soon, he'd do what it asked. "I was hoping you could tell me that, Demon."

Natalie shrugged. "I don't know. Neither of them tell me why they want something. Only that they want it, and I get it for them." She smiled, baring sharp teeth. "And you might as well quit trying to keep the mortal safe. She's going to die, just like her friends. Oh, and William, too." She chuckled. "She wants them dead." She paused, fingering the knife at her waist, her eyes flickering to the stairs. She drew on her strength, and moved at the speed she knew the vampire could match, if he chose to.

Angelus took off after her, tripping her before she could make it to the staircase. He stood over her. "If she's going to die, it will be by my hand not yours. What you do with Spike is your problem." He knelt with a smile. "But you're not going to ruin my dinner."

Natalie snarled, her eyes narrowing. "You want to deny me the hunt?" She came up in a crouch, muscles tensed for a spring. "First the bitch says I can't kill you, and now you want to take away another prey. Not on your unlife, Angelus."

"You can hunt Spike," Angelus snarled as he prepared for her attack.

"That's just one hunt. And not the one I'm looking forward to." She leapt, the knife hissing free of the sheath as she moved.

Angelus jumped back, laughing. "Oh look, she has a little pigsticker." He was close enough to the weapon's case to arm himself. He smashed his fist through the glass and pulled out his broadsword. "You want to play dirty, fine. I can play dirty."

Natalie laughed, her eyes lighting with an unholy fire. "Now you're talking. A challenge." She tossed the knife into the air, catching it by the tip before throwing it again, aiming for Angelus's heart. She drew the sabre that had been strapped across her back while the knife was in the air, waiting for him to make the next move.

Angelus reached out with his free hand and plucked the knife from the air. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked in disappointment. "And here I thought I'd have to work hard." He took a step to his left, flipping the knife in the air as he twirled his sword.

"I'm just getting warmed up." Natalie feinted left, testing his defenses.

He blocked the first swing of her blade and immediately went on the offensive, driving her back into the wall. He slammed his hand around her throat, holding her there for a moment. "Too easy. You're supposed to get better with time."

"I'm out of practice." Natalie shrugged. "Happens when you don't have a decent opponent to spar with." She shoved him away, her blade flickering out to slash across his chest. "But I'm not that rusty, old man."

There was a mutter from upstairs. "The good news is I'm rusty, and I might miss. The bad news is, I'm really pissed."

Angelus gazed at the slash across his chest, the wound immediately healing. His eyes darkened and he blocked her again, driving her around the lobby of the hotel. He glanced at Spike. "Some help here would be nice."

"All you had to do was ask, mate." Spike came down the stairs, pulling out an ax from the smashed weapons case. Natalie hissed when he came up on her other side, lashing out with one foot to crack him across the knee.

"What's the matter, love?" Angelus taunted. He swept her feet out from under her. "Can't handle two big bad vampires on your own?"

Natalie rolled as she hit the floor, avoiding Spike and the axe whistling down at her head. "I prefer my battles one on one, but if you want to make this interesting..." She rolled to her feet near one of the gunmen, taking his pistol. She aimed for the wall where she knew Alexa was hidden, firing three shots before Spike grabbed the gun from her. "Might want to check on your precious little mortal, William."

Angelus swung his sword as she turned to fire into the wall, knocking the flat of the blade against her exposed ribs. "Go!"

Spike nodded, bolting up the stairs, as Natalie spun to face Angelus again. He found Alexa curled on the floor, a grimace of pain on her face. "Bloody bitch," she hissed softly.

"You're really beginning to annoy me, you know that?" Angelus asked as he threw the knife. It lodged in Natalie's shoulder and pinned her to the wall.

Natalie reached up, trying to dislodge the knife as Angelus came closer, her gaze getting almost frantic when she spotted the gunmen leaving, abandoning her to his mercy.

He wrapped his hand around her throat, lifting slightly as he tilted his head. "Where's the other one? What did you do with her?" he asked.

Natalie struggled against him. "I didn't do anything to her."

Angelus smiled. "You don't lie very well." He shook Natalie once, lifting her higher off the floor. "Where is she?"

"Elsewhere, Angelus. Where she'll be guarded, and even you can't get past all the guards."

Angelus squeezed his fingers tighter. "We'll see," he whispered before tossing Natalie across the room like a rag doll.

Natalie hit the wall, and slid down it, unconscious.

Spike came down the stairs with Alexa leaning on his arm, holding her shoulder.

Alexa glanced at Natalie's unconscious body. "Looks like she was a bit more rusty than pissed," she muttered. "Um, can someone call an ambulence? I think I'm about to pass out."


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue

Cain Marcus watched as the car pulled up to the small house, turning to the demon who sprawled on the chair behind him. "Once I have reined in her unique talents, MacInnis, you are to keep her confined to the room. If her toy escapes, Mariam will be greatly dissapointed."

"And we don't want that, do we?" John MacInnis snorted, his eyes turning to the door, where two men were dragging in an unconscious woman. "She's quite a lovely woman..."

"And not to be harmed," Cain interrupted John, his tone implacable. He held the demon's eyes a moment before following the men into a windowless room.

The demon-caller had been laid out on the cot along the back wall, and Cain nodded to the two waiting for him. "You may leave now. Your payment will be delivered as usual." He waited until they left before kneeling at the head of the bed, his cool fingers brushing the hair from her face.

"Quite a pretty little piece of trouble, indeed," he whispered. "I'm sure Mariam will approve of this latest bauble for her collection."

Slipping into the woman's mind, he slowly began to weave a sturdy web to block away the demon-caller's ability to control the demons she called. "You will have to come to me to be rid of that, pet," he murmured, a smirk on his face.

Another layer was added to the web, binding her ability to consciously control her talents. "And now I hope you don't wake up while I finish the web, pet. You'd have every demon nearby homing in on this house, and its little collection of baubles. We can't have that, now can we?"

Cain closed his eyes as he worked on the last barrier. It had to be strong enough she couldn't break it on her own, yet delicate enough to shatter if she was reunited with her friends. He searched her mind, and found a trigger.

"Now, pet, you are ready. Your friends will come for you, eventually, and they won't know what they've done until it's too late to stop it."

He stood with a smile, locking the door as he left. John was where he'd been earlier, and the demon raised an eyebrow in question.

"Guard her well. If her friends show up, don't make it easy for them to rescue her. But do not make it impossible."

"You have a surprise for them." John smirked when Cain nodded briefly. "Then I will make sure they have an interesting time rescuing the pretty bauble."

"Good. Mariam will come to collect her bauble personally when she is ready." Cain left without waiting for John to reply, stepping into the waiting car. "And now, my love, we wait."

Mariam laughed as they drove off, Cain smiling in an echo of her amusement.

FIN

Author's Note: Yes, I am aware it ends wide open for a sequel. It's supposed to. The sequel is titled Friends Like These, and will eventually come out. If you want it out sooner, review, and tell your friends to come and read, and review. More reviews mean I'll get the sequel out sooner. And posted here more regularly. But until then, I hope you enjoyed the story!


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